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Sunday, December 27, 2015

Oct-ov-ember MAGAM - Butterick 5917 and other stuff.....

Warning - Very Long Post!!

I've been MIA from the blogging world since the end of September, but I have been trying to squeeze in a little sewing amongst the other home projects we've had going - more on those projects later. I'm going to call this my Oct-ov-ember MAGAM completed!

Here is Butterick 5917 - View C. I liked this when I first started sewing on it, but now I'm not so sure. I think the "Fromp-O-Meter" gauge is starting to rise with this one.....

I made a size 12 but probably should have made a size 10 as it's a little big in the bodice and shoulder area. And I probably should have moved those sleeves in as they look a bit droopy in this picture.

I pattern calls for the ruffles at the neckline, and I added additional ruffles to the waistline - this could be what's making the Fromp-O-Meter gauge start moving in the wrong direction.

It does twirl good though - that's a plus!

Another pic - maybe I'm just standing funny?

Or maybe it's ruffle overload? And what happened to the sleeve lining - it seems to be pulling funny here on the sleeve hems and there is plenty of lining length included so not sure why it's doing this.

Back view - not so bad...

On to the lining. The pattern calls for just the bodice and the sleeves to be lined and not the skirt portion. This seemed a little strange to me so I decided to line the entire garment.

I sewed the bodice together and treated them as one piece and ended up with a serged edge at the zipper that I didn't like so I covered it up with some ribbon.

Close-up of the ribbon - hand stitched along the zipper edge to lining fabric.

The skirt lining was attached after the entire garment was sewn and it was half sewn by machine and half sewn by hand. I didn't care for how this looked so I covered the edges up with some ribbon again - Voila! Looks a little more presentable here.

Front view - the ribbon "waistline cover up" goes all the way around the dress.

For the sleeve, I just treated them as one piece as well and serged the edges together.

Here's what the sides on the inside look like. Not the traditional way to line a garment I know!

So - just what have I been doing with my time these past few months? Well - I can finally say what I've been mentioning in previous posts - the remodeling project we were busy doing.

We decided to update our kitchen. And when I say "We", I mean the DH and I did ALL.THE.WORK.OURSELVES! (with the exception of the new countertop installation).

The list included:
- Ripping out the old countertops - which I was more than happy to do!
- Installing a new hood.
- Installing a new range.
- Sanding and staining the cabinets and installing new hardware.
- Patching and "pass thru hole in the wall" that lead to the dining room.
- Tiling and grouting the backsplash.
- Painting.
- Installing new light fixtures and undercabinet lighting.
- Etc., etc., etc. Those of you who have done a kitchen remodel know what I'm talking about. And let's not even talk about the dust that is generated - I am still finding dust and I've cleaned the house multiple times!

We started on March 13, 2015 and officially finished on November 1, 2015. I spent countless hours on the weekends sanding and staining cabinets - I don't think my hands will ever be the same, but it was all worth it. We did take a few camping trips during the summer to get away from the project - as it did become a little overwhelming at times. But all in all, we are very, very happy with the results and our hard work paid off.

Here are a few before and after pics for you.

And, as if the kitchen remodel wasn't enough, halfway thru that project I decided that the Master Bedroom needed a bit of updating too - so I painted the wall behind the headboard, purchased a new duvet cover (that didn't fit properly so I had to fix it) and added new artwork.

Of course our chairs didn't match the new color scheme so I reupholstered them.

In this gorgeous chenille purchased from Hancock Fabrics.

Made two new drapes (fully lined with blackout lining - which I had on hand for some reason!)

And made new pillows for the couch! The pillow fabric was from the stash as well.

So - as you can see - I have been busy! Just not busy updating the blog.

4 comments:

I also had the lining issue with this pattern, but i made mine separate for a cleaner finish and hand sewed the lining to the zip if I remember rightly. I love your idea of finishing with decorative ribbon... I might have to steal this idea sometime! If you are not happy with this dress, have you thought about shortening it a little (maybe to just below the knee) would that help? Fabulous cushion covers... almost match the kitchen tiles!!! :) xx

I might wear it once as is and then shorten it. Then again, I might just give the whole darn thing to the charity shop and be done with it! I'll have to see how the particular day strikes me before putting it on. Yes - the cushions go pretty well with kitchen tiles. I thought about reupholstering the kitchen chairs with the fabric first, but I think that would have been too much.

Fantastic kitchen remodel! Your 'after' shot looks like it came out of a magazine. Beautiful! Your dress is pretty and the inside looks so nice with how you lined and covered your seams. I had the same thought as Dawn, with the idea of shortening it a little.

About Me

I've been sewing since the age of five and haven't stopped yet! Although I do a little crafty stuff, garment sewing is my true passion. I hope you will find some interesting ideas and concepts on my blog and stay for awhile.